Trek 7.7 / 7.6 advise

orfeoc

I'm dreaming of upgrading to a Trek 7.7fx or maybe a 7.6fx if i can't affoard the 7.7. At the moment i ride on an old trek 970 which i like cause its light (for its age) and looks crap so there's less incentive to steal it. However i'm definetly after a light bike for city commuting so the Trek 7.7fx jumped out at me. However its a bit steep, do people think its really worth going for the 7.7 over the 7.6? its quite a big price difference down here in australia. At the moment my 970 is falling apart with gears and bearing showing signs of failure so i'm not hyper concerned on quality but are the components on the 7.7 alot better than the 7.6s? I use my bike every day, i basically ride everywhere.

Also, how tuff is the 7.7 / 7.6?, can it handle drops? like a maximum of 1mtr (onto a parallel landing), what about riding down stairs? probably no more than 10 steps? I don't do these things often but i might ride down 1-2 staircases a week and i don't go off drops that much but i do want the option to.

I'm also considering the Specialized Sirus Comp but i haven't had a look at that yet.

thanks guys

orfeo

Scotty_Dog

I do not recommend performing a 1 meter drop nor descending stairs on any of the bikes you listed. They are not designed to handle that kind of abuse.

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"There is alot of blather here that does not float the hooey barge." boudreaux 11/22/2005

JM01

essentially the same bike, the 7.7 has a better (faster) drive train

These are essentially flat bar roadies, not designed for off road...those spokes are rated for only 300lb, so a few drops will destroy them...skinny tires don't work well in dirt as well.

However, if you're looking for a hybrid, there are much better bikes at lower prices out there. I have the 7.5fx and it sucks compared to similar bikes by Specialized, Opus, Giant, Scott, and others...

The Trek is hard to set up for good fit (top tube seems out of proportion with the seat tube), my saddle fell apart after 2 weeks (cheap staple construction), and the frame seems very stiff and lifeless.

The Treks they make today are very different from the Treks I owned a few years ago

good luck with this

orfeoc

JM,

are you talking about the speacialized sirrus? or another line?, i think i could probably forgo riding down stairs and doing drops if i knew i couldn't....

thanks

orfeo

orfeoc

hey JM,

i had a look at the specialized line, i assume your talking about the crosstrail ? or maybe the globe? i had a look at the giant bikes but couldn't really see any hybrids.

thanks again

JM01

the crosstrail is probably closer to what you're looking for...wider tires and a beefier frame, but its still not built for drops...The Sirrus is a flat bar roadie...a fast bike that is great on asphalt

my wife rides an Opus...a Canadian version of the Sirrus...roadie drive train, but has a granny for those climbs

The Giant FCR2 is nice, as are some of the Scott hybrids, available with 12-25 and 11-32 cog sets

my wife's Opus:

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rule62

Agreed. And if you go with the more expensive 7.7 with its upgrades, you will only feel that much worse when it won't hold up to that kind of pounding either.

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orfeoc

i keep on hearing this term, "flat bar" , is this just refering to the flat bar handle bars? , ie a flat bar roadie is just a road bike with a flat bar handle bars?

i'll have to go and try out those bikes you've been talking about, i'll actually be in toronto/waterloo soon so i'll look up the opus. I think i exagerated the type of work i'd put my bike through, i haven't dropped off anything in a long while now, the most common thing i'd done would be to just bunny hop up a gutter or down it, i assume the 7.7/7.6fx can handle that? or would you say that if your not prepared to find a downramp off sidewalks then forget bikes like the 7.7/7.6fx? how about if i had stronger wheels? like with more spokes?, speaking of spokes, what's the advantage of having so few spokes apart from the coolness factor? i mean i assume its just aero dynamics but seriously, how important is that for a commuter bike, or even in competition, surely that would only be a second every 50 km or something silly?

thanks guys
orfeo

JM01

Yep...Essentially a flat bar roadie has a flat bar rather than drops, better brakes, and a road bike drive train (sometimes with a granny...the 2007 version of Mrs. M's Opus has a pure road bike drive train, double chain ring and 12-26 cog set), fatter tires (28c's rather than 25c's)...but there are a lot of builds out there. You need to consider the type of riding you do...climbs?, asphalt/gravel?, distance? and pick the build that suits best.

Those Trek spokes are rated to 300lb according to Trek...I have no idea why they did this, I have 36 &38 spoke wheels on my commuters as I carry panniers and usually load them up (groceries, wine, etc). I'm sure they'll stand up to small bumps...just have to be aware of their limitations.

I bought the Opus in Collingwood and have no idea who carries them in Toronto...McBride used to, but they closed last year. Best to check the site:

http://www.opusbike.com/

You can check most other models at Broadway and Sweet Pete's on Bloor W....they're a few doors apart so it will save some travel time

SP's has Trek & Giant...Broadway has Specialized, Scott, Marin (nice bikes...worth a look), and others, but inventory may be limited this late in the season (but everything is currently on sale)

http://sweetpetes.com/

http://www.broadwaycycle.ca/

happy hunting

orfeoc

thanks for all the tips JM, you don't happen to know of an internet for sale site for hybrid/city bikes? pinkbike is great and you seem to be able to get some good deals but it geared towards downhill bikes. i only ask as bikes seem to be cheaper in north america so i'm considering getting one while i'm there

thanks

orfeo

JM01

Welcome...

...actually, we ride both XC and asphalt and have been able to get great deals on both types of bikes.Yes, America is the best place to get good prices, more now that the U.S.$ has tanked and it's the end od the season in the northern states.

I never buy bikes on the web, so I can't help you there...I prefer to deal with a LBS who will fit the bike and dial it in before I take it home.

orfeoc

hey jm (or anyone else)

Did you ever look into the cannondale bad boy? i think it may a considerable bit heavier than the trek as it is 27lbs. and i assume the treks comming in at 22-24? . Anyway it's quite a bit cheaper than other hybrids around and will give it a try when i can but i was wondering if you had any thoughts on it. I've always thought the cannondales were sexy but i've always seen them as the Apple (computer) of the bike world, looks real nice but since alot of the components are made by them repairs might be expensive or the componentry is more limited than what you might get on another bike. Like i don't know if i trust that single shock thing, i mean it looks cool but does it stack up against the rest.

Anyway, no big deal if you can't help but i'm becoming a bit obsessive about this now that i've got some money together (ps i'll be in canada in the winter, i assume that's a good time to buy a bike as it'd be the slow season?)